World record bid for most people in a Mini

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A group of British gymnasts are aiming to set a new record for the amount of people jammed into a Mini hatch.

Tonight (NZ time), as part of the eighth annual Guinness World Record day in London, a 28-strong team of female gymnasts from Sussex will attempt to all scramble their way into a Mini.

The team have set their sights on breaking their own previous record of 27 people, which was set in Eastbourne last year.

Not content with breaking just one record, the team also intend to smash the Guinness World Record for the number of people in a classic original design Mini. This time, 22 ladies will try and fit inside the smaller car just moments after the first record attempt. The current world record for this is 21 and was set in Malaysia in 2006.

The idea for the world record attempt was born last November as a fundraising initiative for BBC Children In Need, when the contortionist team successfully smashed the previous UK record of 24 people inside a Mini.

"Whilst we have not quite been able to fit any of the girls into the Mini's glove box, there is a surprising amount of space to utilise and we are really confident that we will break the record again this year," organiser and swimming teacher Dani Maynard said.

"After our achievement last year, we know exactly what it takes to squeeze 28 people into a Mini and we stepped up our training regime to include extra stretching and fun activities like hula-hoop relay racing.

"With the help of our local Mini dealer we have also had the opportunity to practise positioning everyone in the car ahead of the big day.''

Training for the record attempt has been meticulous as official rules dictate that all windows and doors must remain closed for at least five seconds after everyone is in. Each team member has a specific position to form once inside the car to ensure that all 28 manage to squeeze their way in.